The present invention relates to bottle covers and more specifically to an improved holder for a baby bottle or other one-pint bottles that provides insulation for a variety of bottle shapes as well as amusement for the user.
Infant care givers commonly attempt to simplify their care giving by using products that are either time-saving or amusing to the infant. Most babies have a preference for the temperature of their bottle. Care givers find maintaining the fluid temperature time consuming. Traditional bottle insulators maintain the fluid""s temperature until the infant requires nourishment, however once the bottle is taken out of the holder the temperature quickly adjusts to the environment""s temperature. Care givers also spend much of their time amusing the infant with toys such as stuffed animals.
Many bottle covers have been provided in prior art. Some examples are Gammerlgaard U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,090 where the bottle is held by a stuffed animal for hands-free feeding of the infant but is made up of two separate pieces. The bottle holder by Oktayuren U.S. Pat. No. 5,217,192 is a stuffed animal holding a bottle but does not provide any insulation benefits. These are all illustrative of such prior art. These inventions are suitable for their intended purpose but they do not meet the needs that the plush bottle holder does, heretofore described.
Most of the previous designs for bottle holders are either purely functional or purely decorative. They lack a simple combination of the two qualities.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,871,184 xe2x80x9cHolder for a Baby Bottle,xe2x80x9d issued to Le Vaughn Kaopio represents one solution. It is described as a holder for a baby bottle having a cap with a nipple extending therethrough. The holder comprises an insulating jacket having a central aperture extending vertically therein. The insulation jacket is a stuffed animal and will protect the baby bottle from breakage while keeping a beverage within the baby bottle at a desired temperature. This holder has several disadvantages:
a) the inner aperture does not accommodate bottles of various circumferences;
b) the holder does not allow for the consumption of fluid in the bottle while the bottle is still in the holder;
c) the unit is not collapsible due to a hard inner aperture; and
d) the holder is large and therefore difficult for a young child to hold by themselves.
The objects and advantages of the simple bottle holder of the present invention include:
a) to provide a bottle holder that is simple and easy to use;
b) to provide a bottle holder in the form of an animal or creature;
c) to provide a holder that will provide insulation for a bottle;
d) to provide a bottle holder comprised entirely of soft, cuddly plush material;
e) to provide a bottle holder that offers an animated quality which is entertaining to a child;
(f) to provide a bottle holder that has an inner sheath that absorbs condensation from a cold bottle;
(g) to provide a bottle holder that can accommodate bottles of various sizes;
(h) to provide a bottle holder that is light and has appendages that allow for small hands to grasp and hold the unit for use;
(i) to provide a bottle holder that can be compressed for storage in a pocket or bag;
(j) to provide a bottle holder that is entirely machine washable; and
(k) to provide a bottle holder that can be readily hung from a stroller.
In accordance with the present invention a simple holder for a bottle comprises a plush material sheath in the form of a creature or animal.